The American version of Rugelach, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish pastry, typically contains butter and cream cheese, and occasionally sour cream. Classic European (and modern Israeli) rugelach are yeast-risen, but the cream cheese dough is much simpler to prepare; all the ingredients are thrown into a food processor. My twist features Greek yogurt in place of … Continue reading Greek Yogurt Rugelach
I took a classic Parisian tart recipe by pastry chef Nick Malgieri, author of one of my favorite cookbooks, The Modern Baker, and put a slight twist on it. Rather than bake mini tarts, I prepared one large one, pressing the decadent cookie dough crust into a tart pan with a removable bottom. And instead … Continue reading Pistachio Fruit Tart
My kids call these addictive, flaky flatbreads “matzo parathas.” We had set out to prepare homemade matzo for Passover, using a simple New York Times Cooking recipe. One of my sons noticed that the dough, shaped into thin discs for baking into matzo crackers, resembled parathas, a delicious Indian and Pakistani flatbread that my mother-in-law … Continue reading Olive Oil Flatbread
I set out to make homemade Oreo cookies with a twist (pistachio cream in place of the classic vanilla filling) and ended up with these decadent vegan sandwich cookies. For the chewy chocolate cookies, I adapted my favorite vegan cookie recipe – Ovenly’s “secretly vegan” salted chocolate chip cookies – adding cocoa powder, eliminating the … Continue reading Vegan Coconut Pistachio Cookies
This is my twist on a simple pomegranate cupcake recipe I found online. The dairy-free batter is prepared in one bowl, and the gorgeous pink glaze has only two ingredients: sugar and pomegranate juice. I added cocoa powder and molasses to enhance the flavor, and baked the batter in a round pan rather than a … Continue reading Chocolate Pomegranate Cake
Made from partially whole wheat challah dough, these light, fluffy rolls contain hidden swirls of pureed olives (I used Kalamata, a Greek variety) and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan, which becomes slightly crisp in the oven. The rolls are delicious served with slices of Gouda or cheddar, or a little goat cheese or feta. … Continue reading Olive Parmesan Rolls
My twin toddlers refer to these sweet yet surprisingly wholesome muffins as “cupcakes.” Made with whole wheat flour and olive oil, filled with toasted pecans, packed with moisture from ripe bananas and maple syrup, and jazzed up with maple glaze, these easy, one-bowl muffin/cupcakes are equal parts breakfast and dessert. I served them at my … Continue reading Glazed Banana Maple Muffins
I adapted these delicious bar cookies from a recipe by Tutti Dolci, filling two layers of buttery shortbread with homemade kiwi jam and drizzling a ginger glaze on top. Using Lady Lee’s super simple, 3-ingredient recipe, I transformed a bag of overripe kiwis into a thick, sweet, and tangy jam. The crust and crumble topping, … Continue reading Kiwi Ginger Crumb Bars
Maple is one of my favorite fall flavors. It’s a welcome change from all things “pumpkin spice,” and lends itself well to unconventional autumn desserts. Here, I’ve updated a favorite childhood recipe for vanilla pudding, swapping brown sugar for maple syrup (for an interesting history of the sweetener, click here) and sprinkling toasted pecans on … Continue reading Maple Pecan Pudding
These decadent treats are made with crunchy chocolate, walnut, and brown sugar shortbread cookies and a generous layer of creamy walnut frosting. Shortbread cookies are typically sweetened with powdered sugar, but I used turbinado, a coarse variety of brown sugar, instead. For the frosting, I adapted an excellent recipe from the blog Cake Decorist, adding … Continue reading Chocolate Walnut Sandwich Cookies
Baker Without Borders 